Intervention
by the hyperactive writer
Summary: After Payson's injury and friendship with Ike, she begins down the wrong path. Can her friends get their superstar back, or will Payson let her bright future slip away? And will Payson be able to find romance with someone just as eager to have her back?
1. Drunken Ponderings

**Disclaimer: **I don't own "Make It or Break It", any song references, or any other references unless otherwise noted.

**A/N: **Hi! So this idea has been floating around my head since "Are We Having Fun Yet?" premiered, and I had to write it. This is basically like a continuation of the ending, where Payson meets up with Ike and his friends after leaving the Open House at The Rock. I'm switching around the timeline of events a little bit, considering I started this right after "Are We Having Fun Yet" but I want to incorporate the scene from "Loves Me, Loves Me Not" where Payson walks in on Nicky and Kaylie. I'm also not having Nicky go to Denver, just because he shouldn't have left in the first place! Well, here we go!

Payson Keeler was shattered. There was absolutely no other way of putting it. Her entire life had fallen apart in an instant and now, weeks later, she was still feeling the repercussions. When her mother had decided to swing by The Rock this morning to drop off some cookies for the open house later that night, Payson was relieved that it would be early enough that nobody besides Sasha and Summer would be there. But when she had seen Kaylie's car in the parking lot, her sense of curiosity had gotten the best of her. Walking in that morning to see her best friend lying on the mat with the man Payson loved on top of her hadn't been the best way to start the day. But just when Payson had convinced herself that maybe it was just a fluke, that maybe Kaylie had fallen, Nicky was trying to be the gentleman that is and help her up, and she pulled him down on top of her, the open house arrived. Watching the duet that Nicky and Kaylie performed was enough to convince Payson that she was no longer in Nicky Russo's heart, that her place there, just like on the medal stand at Nationals, had been stolen by none other than Kaylie Cruz.

Of course, Nicky wasn't Payson's boyfriend or anything. The two had only shared one kiss, and Payson had always denied any attraction to him when pressed by her friends. Her face softened as she paused to consider that point, then hardened once more. Kaylie knew that, despite all of Payson's words otherwise, Payson liked Nick and Kaylie STILL went after him! Payson laughed at the hypocrisy her best friend was showing. After how hurt she had been when Lauren slept with Carter, Kaylie had no problem doing something similar to Payson.

Payson took another gulp of her beer and thought of things she would like to do to Kaylie Cruz at the moment, most of them rather violent. She was fuming now, far too angry to realize that her cup was being refilled continuously. Payson didn't care anymore. Why not get drunk? Her life was over anyway. She was never going back to The Rock, and she'd already broken the law once by buying cortisone that was illegally obtained. What was an underage drinking citation going to do to her already-destroyed life?

As Payson sat on the tailgate of Ike's truck and thought, Ike himself walked over. Well, staggered would probably be a more appropriate word, considering that he had been drunk when she had arrived and was now well on his way to "totally wasted." _At least I'm not that bad,_ Payson though. _Not yet, anyway._

"What's up, Pay-Pay?" Ike slurred, barely coherent. "Want another drink? We've still got another keg in the truck."

"No thanks," Payson replied, tilting her cup so that Ike would see the contents. "Apparently I've been getting uninvited refills for the past hour. Your friends are courteous drunks, at least."

"The best kind," Ike boasted proudly. He sat down next to Payson on the tailgate and asked her, "What happened to that thing you had to do? The thing at the gym with your friends?"

Payson's body tensed up and she tersely responded, "I don't want to talk about it." She stared unflinchingly into the night sky and drained her cup as Ike looked at her curiously.

"What happened? Friends move on and forget you? You remember you couldn't do that stuff anymore?" Ike polished off his own red plastic cup of beer and set it down beside him. "That's why life sucks: everything's temporary. It's like, you find something that you love, you know? And one day, it's all gone. That's life. We lose things we care about, and then we die."

"Gee, Ike," Payson responded sarcastically, "even when you're drunk you're still a philosopher." She sighed and said, "I found something I loved, something that I was good at, something that made me happy. I made myself the best I could be at it, the best at it PERIOD. Gymnastics became my LIFE. And now it's gone, and what do I have? Nothing."

Ike considered these words and closed his eyes, thinking as carefully as he could in his current state in order to phrase his next philosophic revelation the best way possible. Giving up, he just went with the idea in its purest form: "Beer is good."

Payson snorted, partially with laughter and partially in disgust. "Wow, Ike," she replied, "you should write a book! _The Mysteries of Life Explained_ by Ike Benziger! With such profound statements like that, I'm sure it would be a best-seller."

Far too drunk to recognize the blatant sarcasm in Payson's tone, Ike smiled happily and said, "I should! Cuz, cuz think about it… Beer makes your problems go away! Like, you get so drunk that you can't remember why you were sad in the first place!" Seeing Payson's look of disbelief, he continued, "It's not the deepest philosophy ever, but it makes sense. Things like love and faith and your gymnastics, they're not tangible, and that's the problem with believing in them. It's impossible to hold onto them, so they eventually slip away. But beer? Beer is always there! It's there when you're happy, when you're sad, anytime you want it. All you have to do is reach out and take it."

Considering this speech, Payson leaned back to relax her muscles and said, "I guess you have a point. Believing in things that you can't see comes back to hurt you, but tangible things you can keep." Turning to face Ike, she continued, "I never thought of things that way before. I guess maybe your philosophy does make sense… More sense than mine does at the moment."

Leaning closer to her, so close that she could smell the alcohol on his breath without any effort whatsoever, Ike said, "Maybe you need a guy like me. A guy who shows you other things in life, who can show you what it's like to live in and for the moment."

As he moved forward with his eyes locked on her lips, Payson felt her breath catch in her throat. And as his lips hit hers, she immediately closed her eyes, only to be confronted with the memory of her kiss with Nicky in California. Feeling guilty and confused by the torrent of emotions rushing through her, she pulled away. As Payson caught her breath to explain to a hurt-looking Ike why she had ended their kiss, she heard a voice that was all too familiar to her, and the last she wanted to hear. "Payson?"

**A/N: **Yay cliffhangers! As you can see, this is kind of dark compared to what I normally write, but the stupid plot bunny has been attacking me to do it. I'm definitely not condoning underage drinking here; it's just that it was essential to the story. I hope I haven't messed up the characterization of Ike too badly; he's a pretty interesting character to write. I'm ignoring the events of "Save the Last Dance" as well as anything that happens beyond Payson's discovery of Nicky and Kaylie and Payson's attack on Ike in "Loves Me, Loves Me Not," so basically Ike's still a jerk. Let me know what you think and if this is worth continuing to post! I'm finishing it for myself so that the plot bunny leaves me in peace, but I'll gladly update if you guys think it's interesting enough. Review! =)


	2. Confrontation

**Disclaimer: **Don't own "Make It or Break It," any musical references, or any other references unless otherwise noted.

**A/N: **Hey! I'm glad you all enjoyed the first chapter of "Intervention," I was really excited by all of the reviews and everything. This chapter is actually the one that gave me the idea to write this, this conversation popped into my head and I just went from there. I appreciate everyone taking the time to read and tell me what they think, and hopefully you guys can continue with that! Enjoy! =)

Payson's head spun around at the sound of her name, and laid eyes on someone who was both one of her best friends and her worst enemies at the moment. Kaylie Cruz stood less than ten feet away from Payson with an expression of surprise etched onto her face. Standing behind her were Payson's other two best friends, Emily Kmetko and Lauren Tanner, wearing similar expressions of shock. "Pay?!?" Kaylie exclaimed again, obviously doubting what she had just witnessed.

"Kaylie," Payson muttered. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out schmoozing the press with Nicky? You know as well as I do that the public can't get enough of 'Kaylicky'." She put as much venom as possible into the last word, hoping it hurt Kaylie to hear as much as it hurt her to say.

Kaylie's face fell as Payson's words sunk in, giving Payson a mixture of satisfaction and regret. "Payson, what's wrong?" The concern was obvious in Kaylie's tone. "Oh, my gosh. Have you been drinking?" Despite Payson's best efforts to hide her cup from Kaylie's view, she had forgotten about the other girls, something she wanted to kick herself for after Lauren ran up and grabbed it triumphantly.

"Oh my gosh, it smells like beer!" Lauren exclaimed. "Payson, what are you doing? You don't do stuff like this, what's going on?"

Payson snorted in disbelief and responded, "What do you care, Lo? You're 'Kaylicky's' biggest fan, you don't care about who gets hurt as long as Kaylie's with Nicky and you have a clear shot at Carter. So please, Lauren, spare me your sympathy. You really don't care about me, so just stuff it."

Lauren took a step backwards, obviously disarmed by Payson's attack. The look Kaylie shot her showed that the two of them would have some serious talking to do later, but for now their focus was on their other best friend. Emily, however, took the dismantling of Lauren to be a sign that it was her turn to step in and attempt to reason with Payson.

"Pay, for once I have to agree with Lauren, you DON'T do stuff like this. And," she continued as Payson opened her mouth to argue, "I haven't done anything to you, so this 'you don't care' stuff isn't going to fly. Please, Pay, just tell us what's wrong. We're your friends; we're here to help you!" Emily finished with a pleading look at the former champion.

Payson stopped to think about how to reply to Emily. She raised a valid point, she hadn't done anything to hurt Payson and she was deserving of an explanation. However, Payson didn't want to give that explanation in front of two people she had just deemed not worthy of hearing one. Stuck with this conundrum, she was pleasantly surprised when Ike, whom she had forgotten was there, interceded on her behalf.

"Hey Gumby girls, back off! Get off Payson's case; she doesn't have to answer to you." Ike, although in a very sloppy state, was coherent enough to follow the conversation. Well, as much as anyone who hadn't been a Rock girl or had any knowledge of the gymnastics world could comprehend. He was obviously confused by the "Kaylicky" comment and had absolutely no idea of the history between Lauren and Carter, but his defense was enough to give Payson time to think.

Lauren, of course, was the first one to respond. "Who the hell are you? Do you even know what's going on here? Unless you know all of the details, I'd recommend you keep your drunk ass out of this!"

The response came swiftly and, in true Ike fashion, both stung the opposition and got the point across: "Chill out, blondie. Don't waste any mental energy thinking, we wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." Oblivious to Lauren's affronted look, he continued on, "You're kinda crashing a private party here. I don't think you were invited, so you need to leave."

Kaylie laughed and said, "A 'private party'? This is public property, which means we have just as much right to be here as you do! And seriously, if getting wasted in a park is your idea of a party, you've got some issues." She crossed her arms smugly across her chest in a gesture of triumph that made Payson seethe.

"Hey Kaylie, remember 'Blast Off?'" Payson shot back. "What do you think that was? It definitely wasn't your parents' little country club ball, and you got ridiculously drunk anyway." Kaylie looked shocked as Payson carried on, obviously on a roll now. "Please, Kay, do you really think I forgot about that kegger? You were completely wasted and almost barfed all over both your brother's car and me. You're really in no position to criticize me or tell me to stop drinking after your little… _display_."

Kaylie retorted, "That was a one-time thing! Believe me; I learned my lesson after Sasha's torture session the day after! You, however… Payson, we get it. You've lost everything you've ever wanted, and it's killing you. But Pay, you don't seem to get our side of the story. It kills _us _to see you upset and angry and everything you never were. You're still our friend, and it hurts us to see you doing this to yourself."

All of the anger and rage that Payson had held inside was finally uncorked in a barrage of words filled to the top with emotion. "Kaylie, you DON'T get it! None of you get it! No matter what comparisons you try to make, nothing can even BEGIN to compare to what I'm going through. No matter how much you try to say it could have been worse, I don't believe it. There is NOTHING that could be worse than this. NOTHING worse than watching your best friends live their dreams while yours is dead. NOTHING worse than watching as the girl you've known since you were little takes everything that should belong to you: the medal, the glory, the guy!" Payson paused quickly for a breath, but her friends were too shell-shocked to even consider seizing the opportunity to respond.

"And I severely doubt that it _kills _you to see me upset," Payson spat. "I kind of doubt that you even feel sorry about what happened at all. If I hadn't fallen, I would have kicked Kaylie's ass, bumped Lauren down to fifth, and knocked Emily off of the team altogether. Face it, you're HAPPY I fell!"

"Payson, that's not true and you know it!" Emily cried out. "True, if you would have landed that routine, you would have knocked me off the team for sure. But you know what? If that had been the case then it would have meant that I wasn't good enough to be on it, that you deserved the spot more than I did. And I would have been okay with that, because that's how it should be: the best girls make the team. Payson, I know you're better than me! You're better than all of us!"

Payson laughed sardonically and said, "You're missing a key word there, Em: WAS. I _was _better than you, I _was _better than all of you! But that doesn't seem to apply anymore, does it? I'm never going to be able to compete again, and that means that you're better than ME now!"

Emily sighed. "Payson, I wasn't just talking about gymnastics. I meant as a person, too. Pay, you are the most morally upright person I know. You're the embodiment of focus and dedication and persistence, and though it might not seem like that continued after your fall, it has. You showed all of us that we need to put our entire self into our sport, that we need to train like champions and act like champions if we ever wanted to be the champion. So why are you doing this?"

The reply came swiftly and brutally: "Because I'm not perfect! You three seem to think that I'm the only one who doesn't make mistakes, that I'm somehow incapable of screwing up. You're right, I was dedicated and focused, but that's because gymnasts are supposed to be! Looking back now, though, I realize that maybe that was my mistake: maybe dedicating everything to gymnastics was wrong. I should've just had an illicit affair with a teammate or slept with someone's boyfriend or worked at a job with coworkers who involved me in a love triangle! Maybe that was what I did wrong!"

Lauren, Kaylie, and Emily stood in stunned silence as Payson continued on, "Even though you guys were the more 'worldly' ones when we were training, I'm in the real world 24/7 now. And something I've learned is that your 'friends' are usually the first ones to stab you in the back. Oh wait, learned that at the Rock too!" She shook her head in disgust and finished, "Go back to the bubble. Go be sheltered and focused at the gym, make the National committee happy by waving in parades and signing autographs and landing double Arabians. That's where you belong. That's your world. This is mine now."

Payson turned to walk away, ready to leave the three shocked girls in her wake when she heard Kaylie yell, "I don't care what you say, Payson! This isn't you! Please, just leave with us. We can go to my house and watch all of those cheesy movies you say you hate but really secretly love. We can do anything you want to, Pay, just leave this stupid party and come with us!"

Whipping her head around so fast that it gave Ike whiplash from just watching it (or maybe that was the booze…), Payson retorted, "I'm NOT going with you. Nice try though. At least Emily put up a decent argument."

Melodramatic as ever, Lauren shouted, "We'll be back! Don't you doubt it!"

Payson laughed and walked away, attempting to put the girls in the past while at the same time trying desperately to believe that Lauren's statement wasn't a premonition of things yet to come.

**A/N: **So as you may or may not have noticed, I rather enjoy writing scenes where Payson goes off and flips out on people (read: Chapter 6 of "Heart of a Champion"), especially the girls. I do realize that this may be a little out-of-character for Payson (or maybe not, I can't decide), but if it is, we'll just chalk it up to the fact that she had been drinking. Let me know what you think by clicking that button down there and leaving a review! =)

Hey da Panda: catch the Peters reference there? =D


	3. Emotional Attachments

**Disclaimer: **Don't own "MIOBI", blah blah blah nobody reads these things anyway!

**A/N: **So, I haven't updated anything in a RIDICULOUSLY long time, and I apologize! I've been really caught up with extra-curricular activities and schoolwork and the like (because there's only so much time left in the day between homework, pit orchestra for the spring musical, and mock trial…), so writing really hasn't been something I could do a lot of recently. But hopefully I'm back now! Or for a few weeks, until the aforementioned spring musical consumes my life… I did update my other multi-chapter "Heart of a Champion" a few days ago, so that's a good sign! So, here's the long-awaited (and hopefully much-anticipated) chapter 3 of "Intervention"!

The three girls walked dejectedly up the front steps of the Cruz mansion. With their heads hung low, Kaylie, Lauren, and Emily entered the foyer and proceeded to set up shop in Kaylie's room. After their confrontation with Payson at the party, the girls had agreed that they needed to think of a way to get Payson away from that situation, the faster the better. With this in mind, Lauren and Emily had called their parents and received permission to sleep over at Kaylie's house. After stopping by the Tanner and Kmetko residences to grab essentials such as clothing and toiletries, they had pulled up to the Cruzes' home.

After dumping their stuff in Kaylie's room, the girls headed into the family room and spread out on the couches. Not noticing that the lights had been left on (a sure sign that someone intended to occupy the room), the three sighed and silently pondered the situation they had gotten themselves into. They hadn't counted on Payson reacting to their arrival like she had, nor had they expected her to be intoxicated. Now, silently sitting in the family room, they realized they hadn't counted on anyone else to be at Kaylie's, either. That realization was brought on by the buttery scent of popcorn wafting toward them.

Although slightly fearful of the possibility that there could be a popcorn-eating burglar in the house, the girls managed to remain calm. Kaylie motioned to Emily and Lauren, telling them to keep their heads down until she signaled. Then, Kaylie held up three fingers and slowly put one down after the other. After all were down, the girls acted quickly and used the element of surprise to their advantage, vaulting over the couches toward their unknown adversary. They surrounded the surprised man, only to realize that their "burglar" was a rather startled Leo Cruz.

"Woah! When did you girls get here?" Kaylie's older brother asked as he attempted to return his heart rate to its normal level. Missing the level of effort the girls were using to keep their laughter contained, he continued, "You almost made me spill my popcorn!" Holding up the bowl of popcorn in his hand, he looked even more confused when his sister and her friends burst into hysterics at this comment.

When the giggles had subsided, Leo said, "Hey Emily, hey Lauren. Umm, not that I'm unhappy to see you or anything, but don't you elite gymnasts have curfews? You know Sasha would _freak _if he found out that you broke curfew, especially now with the Open House over and the focus back on actual training."

Lauren replied, "No curfew on a Friday night!" When Leo looked skeptical and opened his mouth to say something along the lines of _wouldn't Friday be one of the main days to have it?_, Lauren continued, "Sasha decided to give us tomorrow off, as long as we promised him that we wouldn't go crazy with this 'newfound freedom.' We all thought he would have had us earlier than usual in the gym tomorrow, but I guess his whole 'FUN!' crusade applies to this entire week. Point is, we have tomorrow off, but we can't get used to it because next week is back to normal."

"And besides, big brother," Kaylie added with a smirk, "we're having a sleepover! Those are allowed under Rock rules."

Leo gasped and interjected, "No! Not a sleepover! Girls with nail polish and makeup giggling all night while I try to sleep? Oh, this is going to be a long night…"

Kaylie punched him lightheartedly on the arm and said, "Haha, Leo, very funny. You should drop out of college and become a comedian. We won't be running around with eyeliner and lipstick giving you a makeover while you're asleep. We actually have a lot to talk about, and Emily and Lauren sleeping over means that we'll be able to talk as long as we want to without having to worry about them getting home."

"Alright, that actually makes sense," Leo stated. He surveyed the room once more and asked, "Aren't you missing someone? Where's Payson?" The girls looked nervously at each other, causing Leo to ask cautiously, "You did invite her, didn't you? I mean, regardless of whether or not she can do gymnastics anymore, she's still your friend."

Emily spoke up and said, "Trust me, Leo, we invited her." She bit her lip and averted her eyes toward the ground in an attempt to escape the uncomfortable silence building in the room.

Leo's brow was furrowed in concentration, trying to solve the conundrum of why the fourth best friend was mysteriously absent. He questioned, "Does this have anything to do with you, Kay? Is she still upset because you won Nationals when she fell?"

Kaylie nodded and added, "And a whole lot more." Tired of attempting to watch her boy-genius brother figure out the complexities of human relationships, she explained what had happened at the Rock that morning, at the Open House, and at the party. She was aided in her explanation by Lauren and Emily, who unwittingly filled in details that Kaylie had intentionally attempted to leave out.

After the events of the day had been related, Leo opened his mouth to say something, causing the girls to shift toward the edge of their seats. They were expecting something revolutionary, some magical piece of advice that would help them to solve their Payson problem, one word that could return everything to the way it was.

Unfortunately, the one word they did receive wasn't exactly what they were hoping for. In fact, it was completely unhelpful. "Wow," was all Leo Cruz could manage to say.

"'Wow?' Really, Leo? That's all you have to say?" Lauren asked desperately.

"What else do you want me to say?" Leo snapped back. Seeing the hurt and sadness in the eyes of the three girls, he took a deep breath to compose himself and said, "Look, I don't know how to fix things for you. I don't know how you girls will make things better with Payson, especially you, Kay. All I know is that we need to get Payson away from that party. Her getting drunk and wasting time with those losers won't do anything to help her, and she needs to get away from that."

Emily said, "That's a good first step, but one small problem: we already tried to get Payson to leave the party, and she flat out refused. How are we supposed to get her to come with us?"

Leo took another deep breath and said, "Leave that to me." Leaving three very confused gymnasts behind him, Leo Cruz grabbed his jacket and keys, walked out the front door, climbed into his car, and drove away.

**A/N: **Yay Leo! I felt bad for him in "Are We Family?" because he was just trying to do the right thing and help Emily stay focused. All of the Damily shippers are up in arms now on the ABC Family boards, and I've had to defend him since he's my second-favorite guy character (Nicky Russo being the first). Speaking of "Are We Family?", how did everyone like it? I personally loved most of it, but there were some shortcomings in the areas of gymnastics. I'm not a gymnast, but the reality of some of the scenarios that played out was less than believable. Let me know what you thought of the finale or this chapter by reviewing! You can also PM me if you want an in-depth discussion of the finale and thought on next season.


	4. Reflections

**Disclaimer: **Don't own, yeah yeah…

**A/N: **So I've been a bit fixated on this story recently, just because I think it's more fun to be a bit AU once in a while. This chapter is mainly in flashback form in order to show why Leo was so worried about Payson. I also changed the last line of Chapter 3 a tad, so you might want to re-read it.

* * *

The silver sports car barreled down the streets of Boulder, just barely maintaining a legal speed. The emotionally conflicted and generally distraught driver was at fault for this, but Leo Cruz just couldn't contain his emotions anymore. After bottling them up for years, they were finally breaking free and bursting to the surface.

Payson. It all went back to Payson. A world-class athlete, an amazing person, a beautiful yet real and humble girl. And the one thing that had always prevented this attraction to her from becoming anything more: the fact that she was his little sister's best friend.

Of course, there was also the combination of the Rock's "no dating" policy and the nagging feeling he'd always had that the only way Payson Keeler thought of him was as a friend. Still, as he looked back on all of the times where he could have made his move, he shook his head in regret. Missed opportunities haunted him as he drove, flashbacks playing through his mind as if on a loop.

_Flashback_

_The gym was quiet, far quieter than it had ever been during normal training hours. The serenity of the now-empty floor was just what Leo needed. Everyone was gone, affording him the alone time he so desperately craved. With his father pushing him harder than ever to excel in his gymnastics as much as he did in school, the sport Leo had once loved was quickly losing appeal. Add in the constant screaming of the coaches, the bitter political maneuverings of the Rock Board, the constant teasing he received from other boys at his high school that played "manly" sports like football and hockey, and his very own little sister showing him up for the title of "best gymnast in the Cruz family," and he was almost ready to give up on gymnastics altogether._

_Attempting to clear his head, he walked toward the pommel horse to try a new routine. Well, it wasn't really his routine, more like what he would create if he was given the power to plan his own routines. Unfortunately, Marty Walsh and his coaching staff were the only ones who could make decisions like that, therefore Leo's "dream routines" would always stay just that: a dream. _

_Stepping over to the chalk bucket next to the horse, Leo slipped on his grips and began to chalk up. At the same time, he saw a tall brunette woman enter the gym with a slight blonde girl following close behind her. The girl wasn't exactly young, she looked only about 3 years younger than his 15 years, but 12 was awfully old to begin gymnastics._

_Just then, Marty Walsh himself strode out of the office and shook the woman's hand, introducing himself to both the mother and her potential gymnast. With a dismissive gesture, Marty told the girl to go explore the gym, but not to perform any routines without him watching. __**She must already be a gymnast, **__Leo thought, __**but if she's already at another gym, why would she come here? **_

_Forgetting all about his intentions to do a routine, he let his eyes follow the girl as she walked around the women's side of the gym. As he watched, she approached the floor and shed the zip-up jacket she had been wearing. Taking a look at Marty's office, presumably to ensure that she was still under the radar of the two adults, she stepped onto the floor and took a deep, calming breath. Leo stared, captivated, as the girl ran across the floor and performed a round-off back handspring layout step-out, landing with no issue and gracefully saluting the imaginary judges._

_Leo began to clap out of habit, not very loudly but enough for the girl to hear it and become startled. She whipped her head around, blonde hair flying behind her. "Who's there?" she called with mostly bravery and a bit of fear in her tone. _

_Stepping forward, Leo bought himself into her line of sight. "Hi," he began, slightly embarrassed, "your pass was… umm… really good." _

"_Thank you," the girl responded, "but who are you and what are you doing here?"_

"_My name's Leo Cruz, and I train here." He answered. "Now, who are YOU and what are YOU doing here?"_

_The girl smiled slightly and said, "Ok, I guess it's only fair you get to ask the same question. I'm Payson Keeler and, if all goes according to plan, I'll be training here soon." She looked up at the office where Marty was deep in conversation with the woman who had entered with Payson and added, "I think they're just talking about the money and contract and everything. I should be able to start training sometime next week."_

_Leo heard the excitement in her voice and said, "That's great. The Rock's a really great club, and I think you'll have fun here."_

"_Fun?" Payson repeated in disbelief. She laughed and replied, "Fun isn't exactly on my 'to-do list' for here at the Rock."_

_Curious, Leo queried, "Well, what's on the list?"_

_She shot him a look of confusion and responded, "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to win. I want to be the best, so I have to train under the best. Marty Walsh is the best coach in gymnastics right now, and I think he can eventually help me win Olympic gold." _

_Leo laughed and muttered under his breath, "You definitely don't sound like Kaylie."_

_Payson heard this comment and inquired, "Who's Kaylie?"_

"_My sister," Leo explained. "She's about your age, and she trains here, too. She's just not as, ah… focused as you are."_

_The girl was intrigued and asked Leo more questions about Kaylie and the other girls who trained at the Rock. Leo obliged and answered everything she asked, telling her about his sister and her best friend Lauren, who also trained there, the D. of the gymnasts in her age bracket, and their specialties. "Kaylie's best area is floor, and Lauren's is beam." Leo finished. _

_Payson nodded slowly, digesting the information. As she opened her mouth to make a comment or ask another question, however, Marty appeared from the office with Payson's mother right behind him. "Cruz!" Marty yelled in surprise. "What are you still doing here? Training ended almost an hour ago!"_

_Leo held up the grips he was still holding in his hands and said, "Just practicing some stuff on the horse, coach. I stayed after to do it because Nicky Russo and Carter Anderson were on it practically all day. I couldn't rotate in during training, so I'm doing it now."_

"_The last time I checked, Leo, the pommel horse wasn't on the women's side of the gym, was it?" Marty countered. He looked to Payson, who had just finished zippering up her jacket in an attempt to ward off suspicion about her floor routine. Marty said, "I suppose you've met Payson Keeler, haven't you?" When Leo nodded, his coach continued, "Good. You can introduce her to your sister and Tanner when Payson starts training here next week. In the meantime, either get back to practicing or go home."_

_Leo nodded once more and turned to finally perform his pommel horse routine, and then stopped. He turned back to Payson and said, "Guess I'll see you next week, then." When she affirmed this, Leo resumed walking back to his side of the gym with only two glances back at her, and he could have sworn he saw her looking back at him during one of them. He pushed the thought out of his mind and mounted the apparatus, practicing for another hour before finally leaving the gym. He was glad, however, that Payson hadn't come during the normal hours of the gym, because his focus was constantly interrupted by the thought of her. _

A chance first encounter was all that it had taken to shake up the mind of the normally-unshakable Leo Cruz. Of all days to stay late, he did so on the day that Payson Keeler just so happened to come into the gym. He interpreted it as a sign, although he kept that to himself. He did quite a bit of that where Payson was concerned, especially when his sister was around.

_Flashback_

_Kaylie's 13__th__ birthday party was just like any other party she had ever had: a sleepover. This particular party, however, was significant in the fact that it was the first one that Payson was invited to. After an introduction from Leo brought Payson into Kaylie and Lauren's world, the three had become fast friends. Leo's sister and her best friend enjoyed having someone else to trade gym gossip, pick out leotards, and select music with. Payson seemed a bit more restrained about the friendship, possibly due to the knowledge that one day these two girls might pose a threat to her Olympic dream, but she apparently enjoyed the company of Kaylie and Lauren because she had accepted the invitation to the party._

_As the doorbell rang, Leo skidded down the hallway to answer it before his parents yelled for him to do it. He was determined to prove that he could be trusted not to ruin Kaylie's "celebration of her passage into her teenage years," as this would allow him to actually stay in the house during the party. Although he normally hated Kaylie's parties, he had a feeling he wouldn't mind this one quite as much. All of his sister's friends beside Payson had already gathered and were currently giggling in the living room, so the automatic assumption Leo had was that the person on the other side of the door was Keeler herself. _

_After smoothing out his hair with his hand, Leo opened the front door with a smile on his face. Unfortunately, the smile was wasted on the grumpy face of Nicky Russo instead of the pleasant one he was hoping to see. Russo had a scowl like no other, one that was seen so often on his face that it seemed to be a permanent part of his expression. Leo had forgotten that Kaylie invited Nicky, and he wanted to kick himself for it. _

"_Hey, Russo," Leo casually spoke in an attempt to diffuse the tension that Nicky's arrival had caused. Wanting to be rid of the "Boy Wonder" of the Rocky Mountain Gymnastics Center as quickly as he could, Leo said, "Kaylie's in the family room with everyone else. You can head back if you want, it's the second door to the right."_

"_Thanks, Cruz," Nicky mumbled back. He walked through the doorway and then hesitated, turning around to face Leo. "Is Payson here yet?" came the question that had apparently caused Nicky to double back. _

_Leo felt a pang of… anger? Jealousy? Something altogether unfamiliar to him shot through him. Why was Nicky Russo interested in whether or not Payson had arrived? It wasn't like either of them could be bothered to take time out of their intensive practice schedules and talk to each other, so what did Russo care? Resisting the urge to punch "Golden Boy" for even hinting that he could be interested in the one person Leo had ever had feelings for, Leo replied sharply, "No, she's not."_

_Nicky showed no sign of noticing the thinly veiled anger in Leo's tone, simply responding, "Ok" and walking off to the family room. _

_Leo regained his calm and sat on the bench in the entryway. About ten minutes after Russo had arrived, the doorbell rang again. Smiling once more, he opened the door to find… Carter Anderson. Disappointed, he pointed Carter in the right direction and sat back on his bench. _

_When the doorbell rang yet again no more than five minutes after Carter joined the party, Leo answered the door reluctantly. The rather hopeless look on his face was noticed by the person on the other side._

"_Wow Leo, don't look so happy," Payson quipped. Looking up at the sound of her voice, Leo's face brightened when he saw her. _

"_Very funny, Keeler," he replied, amused. "Playing doorman for a party full of pre-teens doesn't really appeal to a sophisticated teenager such as myself." _

_Payson laughed and responded, "Who are you kidding, Leo? You know you'd love nothing more than to do this as a living! Just think, all of the fun anticipating the arrival of someone you really want to see… And getting paid for it! It wouldn't be a bad fall-back if gymnastics doesn't work out." She didn't know how close to the mark she had hit._

_Leo knew, however, but he was determined to play it off with his usual humor. "Are you insinuating that I anticipate seeing my sister's friends? Because if so, you really don't know me that well, Payson." _

_Looking thoughtful, Payson replied, "Maybe it's true that I don't know you that well, but I wouldn't be opposed to changing that." She meant it in the most platonic way possible, but even understanding that couldn't calm the strange flutter that had passed through him when she had said it. _

"_I think we should change that," Leo agreed. "Maybe we should ha—" His sentence was interrupted by the shrieks of glee that originated from down the hallway and grew louder as Kaylie approached at a run. She flung her arms around her friend and dragged her down the hallway toward the party, babbling on about some stupid movie they were all going to watch. _

_Payson glanced back over her shoulder, looking regretful at the abrupt end to her conversation with Leo. Somehow, her regret gave him hope and courage, and, as his sister ushered everyone into the family room and popping in the worst chick flick of the century, Leo found enough confidence to sit beside Payson. _

_Unfortunately for Leo, however, Nicky Russo chose to sit on the opposite side of Payson. This seating arrangement seemed, at least to Leo Cruz, to be a sign that being close to Payson was not going to be as easy as he hoped it would be. _

With knuckles white on the steering wheel, Leo tried to focus on the road ahead of him. The difficulty, however, lay in keeping his thoughts off of Payson. It wasn't easy, as she wasn't someone you could forget easily. Leo knew that from all of the nights he had spent without sleep, attempting to keep the memory of the Nationals send-off party out of his head. That night had been one of the most heart-breaking moments of his life.

* * *

**A/N: **So this chapter got really long… I guess I just really get into writing flashbacks! I took some liberties in this chapter, considering that we never see these moments in the show. I'm not too sure on the skill set that 12 year old gymnasts have, I tried to do research on it, but 12 year olds are on a bunch of different levels. Hopefully a RBH layout step-out makes sense, and if not, I apologize. I also apologize for the ending; I just wanted to finish the chapter in a place that will keep you guys guessing why Leo was so heartbroken, and a place that will allow me to pick up with next two flashbacks in the next chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to update soon! Review and let me know what you think! =)


	5. Broken Dreams and Broken Memories

**Disclaimer: **I don't (sadly) own Make It or Break It. If only I did…

**A/N: **Check the bottom for my apology!

With his white knuckles still clenching the wheel as he grew closer and closer to his destination, Leo's memories became more and more painful to recall. The two most heart-breaking moments of his life played in his mind, despite his best efforts to maintain focus and control.

_Flashback_

"_Kaylie, for the last time, I will not help you pick out something to wear to the party tonight! Go ask mom if you're that desperate!" Leo Cruz groaned in frustration as he sprawled face-down across his little sister's giant bed. It was the kind of bed that could swallow a girl like Kaylie: It was much too big for her slim form to hold a candle to. Come to think of it, her bed sounded an awful lot like her ego._

"_It's called being a good big brother, Leo!" Kaylie pleaded. "Big brothers help little sisters with problems all the time! Ron and Ginny Weasley, Luke and Leia Skywalker-"_

"_Actually," Leo interjected, "Leia was older than Luke, so therefore your point is flawed." He sat up with a smirk and took in his sister's frustrated face. Seeing her so ready to snap made his smirk grow even larger, something that Kaylie didn't overlook._

_Winging a yellow babydoll top at his head, Kaylie groaned in defeat. "Fine," she said dejectedly, "you don't have to help me." Leo was surprised by these words, but he adopted a look of triumph anyway. Kaylie, however, wasn't finished. "You don't have to help me, BUT I get to tell Payson that you like her!"_

_There was no mistaking it for anything other than an attempt to solicit help; it was pure speculation and had no basis behind it. However, Leo jumped off of the bed like it had suddenly burst into flames. "What?" he practically shouted. "How do you know—Um, I mean, what are you talking about?" It was a pathetic attempt to cover up his slip, but he prayed fervently that it had gone over Kaylie's head. However, his sister was brighter than he gave her credit for, and she pounced onto his mistake like a panther. _

"_Oh, my gosh! You totally do like her!" Kaylie squealed. "But what about Emily? Don't you like her, too?" _

_Leo sighed. There was no way to avoid it now, the truth was bound to come out sometime or another. "Emily's a nice girl," he began. "She's pretty and cool and everything, but… It just wouldn't work out. Even if she wasn't with that pizza guy, I don't think anything would ever come from our relationship but awkwardness for you to deal with."_

_Kaylie sat on her bed, staring up at her brother with big brown eyes that Leo could never say no to, no matter how hard he tried. He knew now that she was going to exploit that fact, and sank onto her bed beside her. As soon as Kaylie opened her mouth, the onslaught began. _

"_How long have you liked Payson? Why did you never tell me? Why haven't you told her? What are you going to do? Do you know that she'll be at the party tonight? Are you going to tell her then? What about the 'no dating' rule? Are you—" _

"_Kaylie, enough!" Leo barked, tired of the tirade being rained down upon him. As his sister turned to him, eyes visibly hurt from his angry interjection, he sighed and began to answer the many questions that had been foisted upon him._

"_I'm going to try to answer your questions in order, but since you asked at least five of them without giving me any time to respond, I don't think I remember all of them." With a deep breath and closed eyes, Leo began to speak again. "I've liked Payson since… Well, probably since the day I met her. I told you how I met her, right?" _

_Kaylie nodded in affirmation, giving Leo the go-ahead to continue. "When I saw her RBH layout step-out, I was impressed. She was a great athlete, even back then. But when I talked to her, I saw the passion that she had for gymnastics. There was a fire in her eyes when she spoke about winning and being the best. Her dedication was evident from the start. It was admirable and something that drew me to her, some sort of a characteristic that pulled me in. I'm not sure why it did, but all I know is that I couldn't fight it."_

"_Sounds like you've got it bad, bro," Kaylie remarked. Leo sprawled himself out across her bed and, burying his head in her comforter to stifle the sound as much as possible, groaned with all of the pain of a broken heart. Unfortunately, his ever-observant sibling heard the noise and understood the meaning behind it. "You love her, don't you?" Kaylie Cruz asked quietly. _

_A single nod was the response she got, one small sign of acknowledgment from someone who had spent years fighting and hiding his feelings. Kaylie sighed and leaned back against her brother's spread-eagle form. "You know you need to tell her, right?" she queried, though it was more of an order than a question. Leo nodded again, reluctant to lift his head and have to look his sister in the eyes. Kaylie sighed again. "Then you'll tell her tonight, at the send-off party." _

_Now Leo was forced to look at her. "What?" he asked, somewhat in shock. "Are you crazy? I have no clue what to say to her! There's no way I'll be able to say anything that she'll even want to listen to! I can't just come out and say, 'Payson, I've loved you since you were 12, will you please be my girlfriend?'! I… I just can't do it, Kay. I can't." The dejected look upon his face said everything to his younger sister: her strong yet sweet, masculine yet romantic, dorky yet suave older brother was completely in love with her best friend, yet he had absolutely no idea how to reveal it._

_Kaylie sighed yet again (she seemed to be doing that a lot lately when Leo was involved) and began to speak. "Leo, I know you're not the most knowledgeable guy when it comes to girls, so I'll help you out here. Honestly, you don't have to say something incredibly romantic to sweep a girl off her feet, especially when you're talking about Payson. Pay would so much rather just hear the truth about your feelings than have you try to make it all girly and flowery. So just ask to speak with her tonight at the party, find a quiet spot to talk, and explain your feelings for her. Even if she doesn't feel quite the same way, Payson will still appreciate the honesty."_

"_But that's just it," Leo interjected. "What if she doesn't feel the same way? What if she just wants to be friends, or worse, doesn't want to speak to me anymore? I'd rather just be a friend for her and see her with someone else than be someone she avoids for the rest of her life."_

"_Well, my brother," Kaylie responded, "you must summon up the courage to take that chance." Leo stared at his seemingly all-knowing sister in awe. It must have shown on his face, however, for Kaylie began to smirk and shooed him out of her room so she could get ready for the party. _

_Several hours later found Leo Cruz standing in the living room dressed in a dark green polo shirt that complimented both his eyes and his muscles, a pair of dark Hollister jeans, and brown leather sandals. His nervous hands kept a firm grip on his Perrier water, while his eyes darted to the door at every chime of the doorbell. He wasn't on doorman duty tonight, which was both a relief and an annoyance. He wanted to be the first person Payson Keeler saw, and the last she said goodbye to. However, at least this way he didn't have to fake-smile at people like Nicky Russo, whose ego and moodiness had both only increased throughout the years. _

_Almost an hour went by before Leo finally caught his first glimpse of Payson for the evening. She looked stunning in a pale pink dress and her blonde hair in a braid. He was instantly reminded of the fairy-tale princess Rapunzel, and Leo was made even more determined to be her Prince Charming. _

_However, his father had other ideas. Leo was practically dragged around the room by Alex Cruz, standing awkwardly as Alex bragged about his son's academic achievements while keeping a sharp eye out for another flash of that fairy-tale figure. He was finally released when his father began chatting with Coach Beloff about travel arrangements and itineraries for the girls while they were in Boston. As soon as he was granted his freedom, he began his search for the elusive Payson Keeler. _

_After checking the back porch, Kaylie's bedroom, and even asking Mr. and Mrs. Keeler if they knew her location, Leo was stumped as to where Payson could have gone. He was considering giving up when he saw a lithe blond girl sweep past the side hallway and duck into the seating area located there. Leo followed in her tracks across the large living room and almost entered the seating area until he realized he heard voices. One was unmistakably Payson's, and the other was somewhat gruff, obviously male. Poking his head around the corner to identify the mystery competitor, he saw the spiky hair and trademark scowl of Nicky Russo. _

_Leo's heart sank as he pulled his head back around the corner. He was losing hope rapidly, but he decided to listen to part of their conversation as to determine whether it was just teammate, pre-Nationals encouragement or something entirely different. Unfortunately for Leo, it wasn't the first of the two most likely options._

"_We'll just compare gold medals at Nationals," he heard the ever-arrogant Russo announce. "And I expect at least one dance at the party afterwards. Maybe even a slow one." _

_Leo's blood boiled. How dare Nicky Russo make a move on Payson! He was seething with anger now, but as he heard the sounds of someone leaving the sitting area, he was forced to make a hasty retreat to a hiding spot out of sight. A conveniently placed recess in the wall provided the perfect cover, however it still allowed him to see the unbearably smug face of his rival and, a minute later, the blissful smile being radiated by Payson. _

_This much was clear: Payson liked Russo more than she liked Leo. It didn't matter why, or how much, Leo just knew he had lost. Yet again, Leo Cruz loses to Nicky Russo. Only this time, it wasn't on the floor of The Rock or some similar gym: this time, it was for a prize worth competing for. However, the realization that the girl he was completely infatuated with didn't return his feelings was enough to effectively break the competitive spirit that Leo had always possessed. _

From that moment, Leo had sworn to himself that he would be whatever Payson needed, not what he wanted to be for her. Whether that was a big brother or a friend to talk to, he would be there. Since Payson's accident, the most frequent role he had played was that of a shoulder to cry on. It hadn't been all that easy, however, since he had wanted to cry himself most of the time.

_Flashback_

_Of course Leo had been at Nationals: what kind of older brother stays home for the biggest two days of his sister's career? So he had been there to witness the literal downfall of one of gymnastics' biggest powers, Payson Keeler. It had literally been the most horrifying moment of his life. Watching one of the worst possible scenarios for a gymnast play out in front of him and befall a friend was the most gut-wrenching thing he could imagine. _

_As he watched Payson fall back down to earth along with her Olympic-sized dreams, he felt trapped in a nightmare: completely helpless and damn pissed off about it. When the sound of her spine's impact against the mats reached her parents, they did exactly what Leo wanted to do and raced to the competition floor. He couldn't believe this was happening: he knew the risks of gymnastics and had known of the tragic accidents that befell other competitors, but never before had anyone he knew been injured to this extent. Now, seeing the body of the girl he was fairly certain he loved crumpled unconscious after a terrible fall, Leo wished that gymnastics was much less dangerous. _

_Of course, wishing for something after the fact didn't do much good. It was a sign of how helpless Leo felt that he would actually sink to something like wishing, but he was desperate. It was all he could do to restrain himself, to keep from hurdling over the barrier and running to Payson's side. He watched hopelessly as Payson was wheeled out of the arena on a stretcher. _

_Leo watched the rest of the competition without much real interest. He was able to focus on Kaylie's routine, mostly because he knew he would be asked about it any flaws or faults he saw in it later on. As the National Team was announced and his sister was awarded her gold medal, all Leo could think about was how much Payson deserved to be on that stand as well. _

_He fled the arena as soon as possible, but his flight was diverted by a group of reporters asking him about his sister's victory and other Kaylie-related questions. Distracted to the point of confusion, he stared duly into the sea of microphones positioned around him. Luckily, Leo was rescued by the voice of Emily Kmetko. She called him over, apologizing to the reporters while telling them that they had some "important things to discuss." _

_Leo gratefully followed Emily away from the media frenzy. It was evident that she had nothing crucial to discuss with him, however she was content to babble on about making the team and asking him about stupid things like college and his future. Shouldn't she be concerned that one of her teammates was at this very moment lying in a hospital bed with her future questionable at best? _

_Once again, Leo was saved from answering too many questions by an unexpected arrival. That Pizza Shack guy, Damon, showed up and gave Leo a clearly unfriendly look. Leo quickly excused himself and left Emily to her own devices. He was ready to head to the hospital straightaway; however, as he caught sight of Kaylie and Lauren waiting for Emily to join them, he realized that they most likely intended to visit Payson as well. There would be no way to explain his presence in Payson's hospital room. Disappointed beyond belief, Leo was forced to wait even longer before his visit._

_One of the worst things about waiting, however, was the time that he had to think about what to say. Leo very well couldn't walk into the room and announce his love to Payson: she was probably still in shock as it was. Gymnastics was obviously off-limits, and the subject of Kaylie would undoubtedly lead to crying on the part of Payson. There was one thing that Leo was absolutely certain of: there was no way he could handle tears. _

_After two hours of waiting, Leo steeled his resolve and departed his hotel room for the hospital. He pushed all thoughts of the upcoming encounter out of his mind and exited his cab in front of Boston General with pure determination etched onto his face. He had come to a conclusion: he would tell Payson that he was there for her, throughout this and even beyond it. Friend, boyfriend; he would go to any extent to be someone that she could rely on and trust. _

_He approached the information desk and asked for a visitor pass for Payson Keeler's room. When he had been granted one, he strode to the elevator and punched in the floor number, failing to notice the little line of print in the top left corner reading "Pass number 2 for room 308."_

_Rounding the corner of the hallway where room 308 was located, Leo's hopes were at an all-time high. However, as he entered the room where the broken gymnast lay, his hopes crashed through the floor. What was that saying, "the bigger they are, the harder they fall?" Well, his expectations and dreams had swollen to gigantic proportions before being shattered by the sight of none other than Nicky Russo sitting on Payson's bed and talking to the girl of Leo's dreams. _

_With tears welling in his eyes, Leo backed out of the room and completed an about-face so quickly that his head spun. He sprinted down the hall, not bothering with the elevator this time. He took the stairs two at a time, continuing his brisk pace down the main hallway and exiting through the double doors, pausing only to drop his visitor pass back at the desk. He ran all of the way back to the hotel, not bothering with cabs this time either. The running gave him time to think, and time to make a decision: there was absolutely no way he would ever have anything to do with Nicky Russo ever again. Russo had taken enough from Leo already; there was no need for Leo Cruz to associate with him anymore._

Choked up with emotion and with his eyes tearing, Leo arrived at his destination. The ride across Boulder had taken no longer than usual, but his memories made the travel feel like years. Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, he unfastened his seatbelt and exited his car. He approached the front door of the mansion that rivaled his own, and rang the doorbell. When the person he was there to collect opened the door, Leo shouted his request before the door was slammed in his face. "I need help. Payson's in trouble."

**A/N: **I'm soooo sorry! I've been extremely busy with: spring musical, Memorial Day in DC, and so much more. Please take this as my apology!


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